SOUTHEND United manager Phil Brown believes changing his side's mentality will be the hardest part of pre-season.
Blues kicked off their warm up fixtures with a 2-0 win at Great Wakering Rovers on Tuesday night.
But Brown feels there it is not just fitness work which needs to be carried out as the Shrimpers bid to bounce back from two successive relegations.
"There’s been an issue with regards to winning games of football," said Brown.
"Once they started that losing streak and suffered back to back relegations it’s not easy to pick up the mantle and turn it around.
"I think that’s our jobs in the next four or five weeks and we need to create a winning mentality.
"That for sure is the hardest part of pre-season, not the fitness levels.
"This is a real test of character and we will be working on the brains and the mentality more than anything else."
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